Twenty-five tribals were killed and eight injured on Wednesday by militants belonging to a rival tribe in stepped up ethnic violence in four remote villages of Assam's Karbi Anglong district, police sources said in Jarigaon Teron Gaon.

The mayhem began at 4:00am when a group of Kuki Revolutionary Army militants swooped on Uden Tisso Gaon, about 5km from Dilai under Bokajan police station, and hacked to death four Karbi tribal men.

They were identified as:

Longki Bey

Pranab Bey

Sona Tisso

Dorsing Tisso

The militants then moved on to the villages of Sarpo Terang and Sarkhe Engleng, about 20km away. They knocked on doors and ordered the men out. After this, they opened fire and attacked them with axes resulting in the death of sixteen Karbis and injuries to five.

The four villages wore a deserted look. A PTI correspondent who visited the affected areas found Karbi villagers abandoning their homes and taking shelter in temporary relief camps set up in Dilai and Manja.

District Deputy Commissioner Anurag Goel and Superintendent of Police Pankaj Sarmah rushed to the villages. The police launched a massive combing operation to nab the culprits. Troops of the 11 Garhwal Regiment, deployed in the district since November 2003 to assist the civil administration, were also combing the area. Security throughout the district was tightened with patrolling intensified in sensitive areas to prevent retaliatory violence.

Karbi Anglong has witnessed ethnic violence between Karbi and Kuki tribals since October 2003 with over 40 persons of both communities killed.